CityLife

THERE'S a pregnant pause near the beginning of the latest (as self-indulgent as it is misguided) offering from legendary luvvie Count Arthur Strong.<br /> <br /> Robert Davidson (or is that David Robertson?) of Doncaster Cable Vision has already introduced his butcher-sponsored hero and on the screen we watch the Count fumbling with his lines in an episode of Dixon of Dock Green from Davidson’s extensive and obsessive clips collection of the Count’s TV work.<br /> <br /> When Davidson departs the stage, for a good 30 seconds there’s no one on stage and no sound in the auditorium but for anticipatory titters from the knowing section of the audience before the familiar croak of the old soak announces off stage “I’m not ready, I’ve only got one leg in my show trousers.”<br /> <br /> It’s a typical gloriously chaotic start to the brilliant character act’s show.<br /> <br /> When the Count sets out to do something it’s more about how it goes wrong than what goes right.<br /> <br /> Persistent coat hanger<br /> <br /> Troubled by a lost shoe and a persistent coat hanger, the Count malaprops his way through yet another tribute to himself, organised entirely by himself, including the ‘sur-surprise’ he has organised which is set to include comedy legend Barry Cryer – if he can be found that is.<br /> <br /> A showcase of his TV work revealing the ‘man behind the smile’ or ‘slime’ as his miss spelt banner states, allows for the Count to be shoe horned into a selection of TV clips from an early cyberman costume in Dr Who to an episode of Ask The Family with Arthur at the helm.<br /> <br /> It’s another simple but effective gag from The Count’s creator Steve Delaney; we never tire of seeing the hunched old man skilfully spliced to the film reel.<br /> <br /> As ever the action ends with the Count looking ridiculous and fully thwarted in his attempts to recreate his glory years.<br /> <br /> Would we want him any other way? Sublime stuff.<br />